As I emerged from the theater where I watched the newly released movie “Wicked”, directed by Jon M. Chu, I fiercely wished I had been properly introduced to the franchise sooner. The movie had completely blown me away.
The novel “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire was originally published in 1995. Maguire wrote “Wicked” as a prequel to the beloved 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz” directed by Victor Fleming, which was itself an adaptation of the novel “The Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, published in 1900. Later in 2003, the novel “Wicked” was adapted into a musical by composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and screenwriter Winnie Holzman. The musical first opened on Broadway on October 20th of that same year.
“Wicked” (1995), “Wicked” (2003) and “Wicked” (2024) follow the perspective of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, as she gets roped into attending the magical school Shiz to become trained as a sorcerer. Along the way she faces intense discrimination and disdain from those around her, especially her roommate Glinda, on the basis of her green skin. In “Wicked” (2024), it’s heavily implied that Elphaba’s green skin is caused by a potion that her biological father and mother drank before conceiving her.
Of course, I’m not the only one who fell in love with the movie. Talia Bahar, a senior at ETHS, said, “I was so impressed by the set design because they used so little CGI…especially the Emerald City, it was almost a fully built set.”
“The costumes were very good,” said Jo Bostic, a junior at ETHS. “My favorite costume is Glinda’s when she first arrives in Munchkinland.”
Furthermore, what attracted me to the film specifically was the inherent political nature of the story. Bahar agreed. “This guy at the top is making life significantly worse for all these people that are at the bottom…in this case he’s literally taking someone of color whose green and making her the villain for everyone else to blame. I think that’s really reminiscent of what we have in society where people in power look for specific groups of people to plan to turn everyone against. We see it today with immigrants and people of color, or anyone that isn’t the status quo rich guy.”
Not only does “Wicked” (2024) explore the reality of manipulative governments, it also portrays the power inherent in overcoming these prejudices.
“It shows how she [Elphaba] comes to realize that she doesn’t need to fit these peoples’ standards. She can just, you know, be her,” Bostic specified.
However, out of all the characters in “Wicked” (2024), I was most intrigued by Glinda. Specifically, I was fascinated by her decision to change her name in support of the animals. The action immediately struck me as superficial and ingenuine. Nonetheless, Bostic perceived that moment with more sympathy.
Bostic added, “I think it’s like her becoming a new person, like a transformation from who she was before, ‘oh I’m so preppy, I’m so amazing’, to more subtler and aware.”
The moment in general seems to summarize Glinda as a character. From her comedic but surprisingly insightful song “Popular” to her line “I hope you’re happy how you’ve hurt your cause forever” in “Defying Gravity”, it’s hinted that Glinda understands more than what she lets on. Yet it’s unclear whether these moments are born out of her own ambition or not. After all, there’s a reason she doesn’t get on that broom with Elphaba.
For all these reasons, from the movie’s sheer craftsmanship to its pertinent political commentary, I would highly recommend you head to your nearest theater and watch “Wicked” (2024) as soon as you can. It’s a film you’ll never forget.
